St. Croix Foundation Awards Over $275,000 in Hurricane Recovery Grants to Nonprofits

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 27, 2018

St. Croix, USVI- St. Croix Foundation for Community Development is pleased to announce over $275,000 in grant awards to St. Croix nonprofits. As a critical component of its Hurricane Recovery CARE Fund, the Foundation is awarding strategic grants to support a holistic recovery for St. Croix. Recognizing the critical service gaps that St. Croix Nonprofits are filling with scarce philanthropic support and limited local governmental funding, grants were awarded to St. Croix-based nonprofit organizations and charitable initiatives that offer programs and direct services targeting the most vulnerable and under-served populations affected by Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

Projects with efforts that span from after-school programs to community revitalization initiatives were funded through this first cycle of grants. Grants ranging from $7,500 to $50,000 were awarded to the following organizations: AZ STEM Project, Boys and Girls Caribbean Center of the Virgin Islands, Choices Basketball Camp, Christiansted Lighthouse Mission, Caribbean Museum Center for the Arts, Cruzan Cowgirls Horse Rescue, St. Croix Walls Project, Frederiksted Health Care, Men’s Coalition of the VI, Onyx Opera, Good Hope Country Day School’s Summer Theater Camp, USVI Soccer Association, VI Perinatal, and the St. Croix World Ocean School.

According to Executive Director, Deanna James, “St. Croix Foundation is committed to advancing a conversation around real equity in how investments are being made.” Emphasizing the importance of nonprofits in the Territory’s recovery efforts and in the philanthropic response to the disaster, James stated that “St. Croix Foundation has developed a set of standards and criteria which ensure that the most underfunded organizations are prioritized. It’s a formula the Foundation is advocating for from all policymakers and philanthropic entities.”

With 8 of 13 public schools closed on St. Croix, a compromised health care system, and 60% of blue roof tarps in the Territory located on St. Croix, priority was given to nonprofit organizations who are filling in vital gaps in health and human services, education, and the arts. The St. Croix Foundation has also dedicated significant resources to nonprofits who are leveraging their work and resources for greater impact through collaboration with a partnering organization. Grantees will have to adhere to strict reporting guidelines to ensure the highest degree of accountability and focus in meeting outlined goals and timelines. Reporting is also strategically designed to allow the Foundation to collect further data on the nonprofit landscape and our community’s needs for services that, in turn, assists the Foundation in developing its own programmatic agenda including how to advocate for and assist nonprofits far beyond grantmaking.

Launched immediately following Hurricanes Irma and Maria, the CARE (Caribbean Assistance and Relief Effort) Fund is providing direct support to both front-line relief and long-term recovery efforts on St. Croix and throughout the US Virgin Islands. Grounded in a commitment to accountability, through the CARE Fund St. Croix Foundation is doing what they do best: supporting a holistic approach to community development while also ensuring real equity for St. Croix and resilience for our Territory.

To date, the CARE Fund has coordinated and sponsored the shipment and distribution of approximately 250,000 pounds of relief aid; provided free temporary office space to over 15 NGOs displaced by Hurricane Maria including the Boys and Girls Club & the Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Council, who are now being permanently housed at the Foundation; conducted critical needs assessments and surveys of residents and nonprofits; and is also serving as the fiscal sponsor for the St. Croix Long Term Recovery Group (LTGR) at no fee.

St. Croix Foundation wishes to extend its sincere gratitude to the countless national foundations, corporations and individual donors who have made the CARE Fund and these grants possible, including W.K. Kellogg Foundation, JPB Foundation, AARP, Johnson & Johnson, Miami Foundation, and Newman’s Own Foundation; all of which awarded first time grants to the Territory to support St. Croix Foundation’s work and the Territory’s recovery.

St. Croix Foundation invites donors and community partners to contact the Foundation at 340.773.9898 or visit their website at www.stxfoundation.org for more information on how to support the Foundation’s rebuilding efforts and our CARE Fund.